US Patent 11267473 Vehicle lane change assist apparatus

A vehicle lane change assist apparatus of the invention determines that objects approaching a vehicle and having a predicted reaching time equal to or shorter than a predetermined predicted reaching time, satisfy a first condition and selects the objects satisfying the first condition as condition-determining-target-candidate objects with the number of the condition-determining-target-candidate objects being limited to a first number. The apparatus selects the condition-determining-target-candidate objects satisfying a second condition, as condition-determining-target objects with the number of the condition-determining-target objects being limited a second number equal to or smaller than the first number when a lane change assist control is requested. The apparatus executes the lane change assist control when a lane change execution condition that the vehicle does not contact any of the condition-determining-target objects while the vehicle is caused to move to a next lane by the lane change assist control, is satisfied.